Submarine construction



July 8 1924- s. L. G. KNOX SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 9, .1922

5513 JM flbtoweq (PM W idw Patented July 8, 19245.

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SAMUEL LIIIPINCOTT GRISWOLD KNO'X, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed Ma 9,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL LIPPINCOTT GniswoLn KNO a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have '1 developed, involving the use of so-called supersonic waves. These are high frequency vibrations in a material medium, the range employed for detections varying from 20,000 to 200,000 per second. In accordance withthis method such waves areprojected from a searching ship or station, strike the submarine, and come back as echoes to the apparatus sending them forth. Special devices transform these supersonic waves into waves of a different frequency, so that they become audible to a properly equipped listener in the searching ship or station. Unlike the lower frequency and audible sound wave, the supersonic wave does not spread equally in all directions, but acts more like light, proceeding in a narrowly defined path, and being reflected from the submarine in much the same way that light is reflected from a mirror.

' It is the object of the present invention to provide means which shall enable the submarine to escape detection by these supersonic waves, or at least to lessen the chances of detection by such Waves. To this end I propose shaping those parts of the submarine that would tend to reflect the wave back to the searching ship or station so that it is not reflected back. Since the supersonic wave is reflected back to theship or station by those parts of the submarine which are vertical, or nearly vertical, unless very close to the ship or station, elimination from the submarine of most all vertical, or substantially vertical, surfaces and properly screening, as far as practicable, such other vertical surfaces as cannot themselves be changed, would greatly lessen the danger of detection by supersonic waves. More specifically, the sides of the conning tower, thesides of the hull, the sides of the ballast tanks and any other exposed areas are made 1922. Serial No. 550,512.

t0 slope away from the vertical so as to re fleet the incident waves upwardly or downwardly. Such surfaces as cannot themselves be, changed, such as the rudder, are protected by a sloping shell or screen. The

object of the invention can be attained by thus constructing the hull of the vessel itself, but in many cases it may not be practicable nor desirable to do this, and the same result can be obtained by providing the vessel with a properly shaped shell which will reflect thesupersonic waves so that they will not return to the sending station, and

without materially affecting the structure of the vessel itself.

While the invention is not restricted to any particular construction, there has been illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings,

in a diagrammatic way, the structural idea of the invention.

Referring to these drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of a submarine, constructed in accordance with this invention; Figs.-2, 3, 4 and 5 are sections taken respectively on the lines 22, 38, 44, 55; Fig. 6 is, 'a view of the rear end of the submarine,

and Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views some what similar to Figs. 2 and 3 respectively, showinga modified construction. 7

The pressure resisting hull of the submarine is indicated at 5 and with it'is associated the usual ballast tanks 6, storage battery compartment 7, conning tower 8, torpedo tubes 9, deck 10, periscope 11, propellers 12 and rudderlS. Arranged over certain of the mentioned parts of the submarine is a shell comprising sloping portions 14C and 15, which are sloped sharply away from the vertical and which are u designed to reflect the supersonic wave sharply upwardly to the surfaceor downsupersonic waves. Since the rudderis usually vertical, it is, of course, important that it be screened effectively. The screen 21' is placed to permit ready access of the water to such a constructio n is illustrated diagram matically in Figs. 7 and'8. In these figures, instead of ,a third reflecting shell being placed a over the, ballast tank, the ballast tank itself is shaped on the outside so as to reflect the supersonic wave sharply upwardly-or downwardly.-

Thus a shell 81 is arranged aroundthe pressure resisting hull 5 of the submarine; partitions 32 serve. to bracethis shell from the hull 5 and to define a ballast tanka33, below certain offsuch partitions. In this modification the conning tower is sloped as in Fig. 2, and, of course, the rudder and propellers are screened as in Fig. 6.

While supersonic waves have been-discussed in connection with the invention, it shouldbe understood that the invention in its; broader aspect consists in so shaping the submarine as to deflect a'nywatentransmin ted wave, supersonic or otherwise, and so .as to reflect as little} as possible of the wave back to the watching ship or station. ,Although the invention liasbeen illustrated in connection with a mobile underwater-structu're, it is'also applicable to a stationary un- 'derwater"structure, such ;as ;a submarine mine.

It isnotclaimed thata submarine maybe absolutely:screened fr onrfietection by, this method, for when it isso close to the watching ship or station as to bring it within the effective range of the secondary, tertiary, etc.,-waves oi the supersonic apparatus, the chances of detection will be greatly increased, .for then secondar tertiary, etc., waves embrace a much greatertotal angle with respect to the sending source than the long-primary wave, and-conversely, the receiving apparatus may detect the relatively weak waves reflected from the submarine 1n --directions,not-normal to.the surface there-- of. But it is believed that the system proposed will reduce by 7 5 per cent or more the range within which a submarine is subject to detection by' su-personic waves, as compared with one so built as to-present normal, or approximately normal surfaces even though of very small areato the primary wave issuing trom the supersonic apparatus.

I claim 2;

1. A submarine, the external surfacesof which make an angle with the vertical-s0 as to reflect upwardly or downwardly supersonic waves strikingthem from the side.

2. A submarine designed to escape detection by supersonic or detecting waves, the parts of which that are able to reflect the wave'being made sloping with respect to the vertical, for reflecting'the. wave upwardly to the surface or downwardly to the bottom.

3. A submarine designed to escape detection. by supersonic or detecting waves, com-' prising a pressure-resisting hull, and a shell associated with the hull having external surfaces-slopingwith respect to the verticalfor reflecting the wave upwardly or downwardly. t. A submarine designed to deflect supersonic or detecting waves so. that they will not be reflected back to their point of origin, in which substantially all the external porti'onsof the submarine are at-an angle'to the vertical, so that thewaves are reflected upwardly to the surface or downwardly toward the bottom. i

5., A submarine, designed toescape detection by supersonic waves sent out by a ship or station, provided with external surfaces sloping away. fromthe, vertical, and with screens, sloping away from .the vertical over certain parts of the submarine, thesaid sloping external surfaces and .the. said slop.- ing screens serving to reflect the detecting waves upwardly to the. surfaceor downwardly to the bottom, rather than backfto the, ship ,or station.

In testimony whereof I affix, my signature.

SAMUEL LIPPINCOTT GRIS WOLD 'KNO X; 

